Tag Archives: Spring Racing Carnival

Last week on Valentine’s Day, I was busy rehearsing some lines I was going to use as MC at a fund-raising function. It was the first time I’d MC’d an event where I was also on the organising committee, so there were twice as many reasons for hoping it was going to be a ripper of a night. And thankfully it was.

Called ‘The Sisterhood’, the committee did a brilliant job reaching out to Melbourne’s movers and shakers and getting them to come along and help raise much-needed funds for the cardiac research unit at St Vincent’s Hospital. As you might know, heart disease is still the biggest killer of all (when it comes to health matters) in Australia.

I’m not going to bang on about what a fab time everyone had, because if you weren’t there, then that’s just plain dull. But I do want to thank a few people who deserve special mention for going above and beyond the call of duty. And to a handful of those people, you have been elevated to hero status in my eyes and I will forever be indebted to you. Thank you. A million times – thank you.

Special thanks to:

Our amazing sponsors!

The Deck at The Prince, St Kilda

The Deck at The Prince in St Kilda. This stunning venue was made available through the generosity of The Melbourne Pub Group. Definitely the best place in Melbourne to stage a glamour party!

Swisse Vitamins for donating a Spring Racing Carnival package for the main auction, including marquee tickets and Arthur Galan race wear.

Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island, Luxury Private Apartments and Boston Kennedy Recruitment for providing a wonderful holiday package for the main auction.

Crown Metropol

Crown Metropol for providing a glamour hotel accommodation package as a raffle prize, including dinner at Mr Hive.

Laurent Perrier champagne

Laurent Perrier for making our special champagne raffle draw possible. Easy to sell tickets when people know they’re getting a glass of such fine bubbles!

Also, to the many wonderful friends and family who bought tickets, some dipping into their pockets despite tight budgets, AND to those with enormous work loads who came despite tight schedules, AND to those whose companies also donated products for goodie bags – sending you all the biggest of hugs and thanks… xxxxxx

Kate Arnott and Mitch Catlin

Aaron Jenkin and Sally Richardson

Jill Hansen and Tina Millington

Julie Thomas, Cathy Thomas and Jill Hansen

To my sister, Jill (Billie) for all her love and support. And to my brother, David and sister-in-law, Penny, who came as well.

Cameron McGlinchey and Natalie Bassingthwaighte

And to Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Cameron McGlinchey who came despite Nat not feeling her most comfortable right now, due to the exciting news of a second baby on the way!

Me and Fletch

And a HUGE thank you to my gorgeous, amazing and supportive husband, Fletch, who helped enormously on the night. Not only did he rally the crowd, using his best theatrical voice, when we needed everyone inside for speeches or the auction – he ALSO sang a number with Melissa Bergland, proving – one again – he is indeed a man of MANY talents.

THE HEROES

For me, there were also several heroes on the night – those who proved to be outstanding human beings for many reasons. Here they are:

Andrew Newcomb, surgeon

(1) Andrew Newcomb, the Deputy Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital. This man is a medical genius. He spoke on the night about the breakthroughs in heart surgery taking place RIGHT NOW which means we all look to him in awe. He’s performed five ground-breaking operations since December, which will revolutionise the way aortic valve replacement surgery is performed, making patients’ recovery times quicker and easier.

Kristen Kennedy (middle)

(2) Kristen Kennedy is one of The Sisterhood committee members. Kristen also spoke on the night, and it was one of the most heartfelt and brave speeches I’ve ever heard. Kristen took some time to decide in the weeks before the event, whether it was something she would be able to do. You will understand why… Kristen talked about the tragic loss of her brother, Andrew, who died at just 36 years of age from a Sudden Arrhythmic episode only 18 months ago. Her words reminded everyone that heart disease doesn’t discriminate in terms of age and is an issue that affects us all.

Melissa Bergland

(3) Melissa Bergland is not only a super-talented actress whom most of you will instantly recognise from the hit TV show Winners and Losers – she has a powerhouse voice! Melissa kindly agreed to sing on the night – DONATING HER TIME – which was incredibly generous. PLUS she is working very long hours on the show right now and had to start the next morning at FIVE AM!!! Definitely a hero in my book. Thank you Melissa!

Guardian angel

(4) My anonymous Guardian Angel. A special friend, who doesn’t wish to be named, made an incredibly generous donation as well as proving to be an enormously special and supportive friend. Darling, I love you – thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Rachel Holland with friend, Julian Gerner, Melbourne Pub Group

(5) Rachel Holland was the chair-person of The Sisterhood committee, for this – our second event. I’ve always known she was smart and efficient (she is a lawyer, after all…) but Rachel’s work for this Valentine’s Day event went WAY above and beyond the call of duty. She and her husband Nick are also expecting their first baby, so she took on this extra workload while also dealing with first pregnancy issues and running her own successful on-line jewellery business, Eclektica. (ECLEKTICA.com) Rach, you are a legend and a wonderful friend. Thank you for everything!

Finally, it has to be said. None of this would have happened without the dedication and hard work of all my ‘sisters’ in The Sisterhood Committee. Special mentions for outstanding effort goes to Amber Petty, Kate McGrath and Sarah Kennedy. Well done, girls!

Just so you know, these muffin-top updates about the medical procedure I underwent – called Cool Sculpting – will be kept brief as I explained the process in detail in the Blog titled ‘How to Lose Your Muffin Top’ which was posted last Wednesday. So if you do want more information, just go back to that story.

Well, here’s how I’ve fared in the past week. I can report the skin on the tummy region became even itchier – at times a little uncomfortable. Fabrics that were quite tight on the skin were irritating and as for my skinny jeans… well, I know I’m a bit chubby right now, but half the time I wore long tops last week so no one could tell I had the top button undone…

And it wasn’t the best week for me in terms of food and alcohol consumption. As with any treatment or diet, the medical advice is to also eat sensibly and exercise. But before the Spring Racing Carnival, there’s a plethora of events serving lovely champagne and canapes and well, hell, what’s a girl to do? Wear a maxi dress is the best solution…

Opening of the Mumm Champagne bar at Crown with Fletch

And then there was Derby Day on Saturday – again more bubbly and canapés. Not that I’m complaining – I’m extremely grateful to be invited to these events and I very much like to show my gratitude by enjoying the hospitality on offer. After spending about twenty years trackside either reporting or reading the news on course and hosting Fashions on the Field, it’s fabulous to finally go as a guest and have fun.

Not much exercise was done on the weekend but I did manage to squeeze in a spin class yesterday morning!! Go me.

Because of Cup Day, I went to Dr Chris Moss’ consulting rooms yesterday for a staff member to take my weekly tummy shot, because obviously, they’ll be closed today. Some clients have said they can see a difference in their bulges after two weeks – but having come a day early, I tell myself not to expect too much of an advance.

Let’s compare pics from Day One to just under Two weeks:

Tummy shot – front view: Day One, 23.10.’12

Tummy shot – front view, 5.11.’12

Wow. I’m pleasantly surprised. There does seem to be an improvement! The indentation at the waist line does seem marginally better. Let’s check the side view…

Tummy shot – side view, 23.10.’12

Tummy shot – side view, 5.11.’12

To be honest, this is much better than I was expecting. It even looks like the ‘back fat’ crease has lessened and I wasn’t treated in that region. Maybe champagne is good for losing weight!!! No, of course it’s not. It’s early days, but already I’d say it looks like the Cool Sculpting is working. But don’t get your hopes up for a big improvement next week. I’ve got a friends BBQ for Cup day today, an Oaks Day Ladies lunch at Crown tomorrow, Oaks Day at Flemington on Thursday AND I ate meatballs stuffed with mozarella on pasta for dinner last night. Damn good recipe that one – I should share it with you.

Stay tuned till next week’s Muffin Top update – and remember, the best results are predicted at six to twelve weeks.

The Spring Racing Carnival is underway, so time for some fun and frivolity, hey? I’m sure that’s what thousands of Victorians are thinking. Although when you look at the statistics, the money generated by the fashion and tourism industries during this time is staggering – well into the millions of dollars – so in fact, it’s a very serious business.

I’m sure a lot of that money comes about from people (like me) who leave race-wear shopping till it’s almost too late, then splurge in a fit of panic-buying. Because really, getting any kind of an outfit organised for the Spring Racing Carnival is a bit of a nightmare. Life’s already a circus act of juggling ten balls while snow-boarding down a roller-coaster (can you book the dentist, pick up the dog food, phone your Dad, visit your sick friend, write a best-seller, do the accounts and bring in the washing – all in five minutes please?) so finding time for fashion is a bit an indulgence. Usually it’s a last minute affair with a combination of things from years past, spruced up with perhaps a new necklace, worn in the hope that no-one will recognise your recycling efforts.

This year I tried to be a bit more efficient and actually phoned a milliner two weeks ago (I thought well in advance) only to hear her practically snort with laughter and say I was waaaaaaaayyyyy too late. Seriously? Yep. She was all booked up and worked to the bone. I didn’t bother trying anyone else, thinking I’d get the same reply. So that little task went to the bottom of the ‘to-do’ list and I imagined at some point, I’d madly dash into David Jones or Myer and grab anything they had left off the shelf – probably the day before Derby Day.

The LK Boutique & Richard Nylon Spring Racing Emporium at Crown

Then – JOY – an easy solution arrived in my email box. Balls had been falling off my roller-coaster ride all week, so I sighed with relief. Surely THIS was the answer to my all-important hat problem? One of Australia’s most prestigious and talented milliner’s, Richard Nylon, was to exhibit and sell his designs as part of a POP-UP shop at Crown and I was invited to a preview.

(For those of you who aren’t up to speed with the concept, a POP-UP shop is a temporary store set up for a short-term purpose in the middle of a permanent shopping establishment)

Many a fashion expert has dubbed Richard Nylon as Australia’s best milliner so I do think the chance to wear one of his pieces to the races and actually pick one off the shelf, is a rare and wonderful opportunity. Not to mention convenient!! In fact, I think you could justify your purchase by arguing that his hats are in fact, works of art. And what price a rare work of art?

Richard Nylon and Amber Petty (trying on one of Richard’s designs)

Besides his talent, I adore Richard’s innate and original sense of personal style. He stands out in a crowd with his penchant for perky caps, colourful costumes and neck-ties. Sometimes I wonder whether he would have been more comfortable living in a by-gone era, but am glad he’s in the here-and-now so we can enjoy the benefits of his creativity.

James Kennedy of LK Boutique with Crown General Manager, Public relations, Ann Peacock

Hosted by Crown’s endlessly elegant Ann Peacock, several other well-known faces also came along to the launch to enjoy a glass of champagne while deciding which hats suited them best.

Kim Watkins, Ginny Gibson, Toni Skaife

Canape, jewels or fascinator?

Checking out the range, I voted the evening head-pieces (surely these ARE art… ) and lady-bug necklaces as first past the post when it comes to style. But enough from me. I’m going to let the photos of Richard’s stunning work, along with some LK jewellery, speak for themselves.

Crimson plumes by Richard Nylon

Pill-box Love hat by Richard Nylon

Blue pleats with feather fringing by Richard Nylon

Pink and white feathers by Richard Nylon

Evening headpiece by Richard Nylon

Neon magic by Richard Nylon

Diamond Butterfly by LK Boutique, $7200

Quartz and diamond Lady-Bug necklaces by LK Boutique, $3500 each

So what did I pick? Well, choosing something so EARLY suddenly felt a bit odd… Where else would I get that adrenalin rush from putting it all together at the last minute? So I didn’t pick anything. I’m going to live dangerously and come back next week. (plus I need to colour match with outfits!!)

As an added bonus for customers, LK Boutique is offering a 30% discount on selected items, such as the Diamond Butterfly necklace to the right which is usually $9000. The POP-UP store, LK Boutique & Richard Nylon Spring Racing Emporium, will be open until Stakes Day. Happy shopping!